Posted: 7/31/2016 8:08:27 PM EDT
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New to reloading and chrono'ed a batch of ammo today. I am curious what you guys think. If this is in the range of what can be considered good, bad or ugly.
Rifle: Rem 700 Varmint 308, 26", 1 in 12 twist. Ammo data: Sierra Tipped Match King 168g, 43 grains of Varget, once fired and neck sized Federal Gold Medal cases trimmed to 2.005 My sample size was 13 rounds and here's the summary data: Average velocity: 2677 fps, standard deviation 17.32 fps, high 2712 fps, low 2646 fps, extreme spread is 66 fps. If I can borrow the chrono again I will run some Federal Gold Medal Match to use a baseline to compare it to. In the meantime, what do you think? |
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I'd say it's a very good start. How was accuracy?
You would have learned more had you shot 4 groups of 3 at 4 different charge weights though :) Often the same reloading techniques using the same components give better SDs when you get closer to the "right" charge weight for your ensemble. Hard to tell where you are with only one load level tested. And the result that counts is the result on targets. FWIW: 168gr FGMM ran 2711fps out of my 26" barrel; ES 39, SD 13. And shot very well (~0.85" @100yds). My own loads using 168gr SMKs and IMR4064 (but not Federal cases/primers) had SDs under 10 for 5 shot groups when close to a solid node. A larger sample size would probably raise that number a little, but not too much. Those reloads shot slightly inside FGMM as well. Lapua match ammo actually shot a teeny bit better than FGMM, and reloading 167gr scenars & N140 did better for me than the other 3 above . . . but that may just be because my Czech rifle feels more comfortable with European components :) |
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Thanks for the feedback. I agree with your statement about "results on target". I should have clarified by stating that I was shooting steel plates at 250, 500 & 750 yards on a gusty day so it's hard to quantify accuracy. My main concern was wether or not the data showed that I was loading acceptibly consistent rounds. The ES & SD seemed high, and by comparing to yours, I need to figure out how to get those down.
I am going to load batches with 43, 44 and 45 grains this week. And, like you suggested, shout 3-4 3 round groups at 100 yards to see if there are any discernible accuracy differences. BTW, funny comment on how your Czech rifle prefers European componenets. |
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Bomber,
Instead of loading in 1gr increments, load .5gr increments and the results might tell you something faster. I only load 1gr increments when testing for max pressure. My first .308 was the exact same rifle as yours, and it was a solid shooter. It shot better than I was expecting when I got it. I put over 5k rounds thru it before I rebarreled and learned a lot in the process. It is now on barrel #4. SY |